Congratulations to Mr. Lenny Siegel, Executive Director of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO), who was awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2011 Citizen Excellence in Community Involvement Award. Through this annual award, EPA recognizes individuals or community groups for making significant contributions to Superfund cleanup initiatives. The award is given for outstanding achievements in the field of environmental protection and for demonstrating community involvement and leadership during the site cleanup process.

Mr. Siegel has long been a leader in promoting and facilitating public participation in the oversight of environmental activities at federal facilities. Since the 1990s Mr. Siegel has been engaged in the cleanup of the Superfund site at the Naval Air Station Moffett Field and the Middlefield-Ellis-Whisman (MEW) study area that is affected by contaminated groundwater.

Mr. Siegel was recognized by the EPA at the recent 2011 Community Involvement Training Conference in Arlington, Virginia, for his commitment and dedication to the community of Mountain View, California, in which he lives, through engagement and empowerment of local residents.

As a plenary speaker at the 2010 Partners in Environmental Technology Technical Symposium & Workshop, sponsored by SERDP and ESTCP, Mr. Siegel emphasized collaboration between the U.S. military and environmental groups, noting that through teamwork opposing parties can come up with mutually beneficial solutions. He also highlighted the role that communities can play in supporting and promoting innovative environmental technologies.